News

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June 2010

30 June 2010
David Lyscom, Chief Executive of ISC, speaks about the future of boarding schools
Speaking with Double First's Simon Jones, David Lyscom talks about the future of UK boarding schools.

30 June 2010
Double First and the iPad competition
John Reid, Bursar of JAGS is the winner of Double First's iPad competition.

May 2010

12 May 2010
Justin Webb, BBC Journalist, is interviewed by Double First's Simon Jones
"Children need to have an understanding of technology and a feeling for how to use it," says Justin Webb.

April 2010

30 April 2010
The Summer 2010 Newsletter for UK Schools is published
A new style newsletter and a chance to win an Apple iPad.

March 2010

24 March 2010
A review of the SHMIS 2010 annual conference
Double First attends the conference, reviews the main messages, and listens to one school's spectacular success story.

11 March 2010
Double First attends BSME 2010 and has an interview with Chairperson Ed Goodwin
Held in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Double First attended BSME 2010 and had an exclusive inteview with Chairperson Ed Goodwin.

January 2010

27 January 2010
2009 was the best year ever for Double First and their Engage software - 58 new Schools
An incredible year for Double First with a record 58 new schools using Engage management software.

23 January 2010
The CISC conference in Harrogate heralds the start of the conference season
It may feel like Christmas was only yesterday, but the conference season has started with CSIC 2010 in Harrogate.

15 January 2010
Double First to attend the BSME 2010 conference held in Bahrain
The Team is pleased to announce it will be attending the BSME 2010 conference to be held in Bahrain.

8 January 2010
Business as usual at Double First despite the worst snow for years
Using their du Pré Connect telephone system for home working transparancy ensures it's business as usual at Double First.

December 2009

16 December 2009
A Dedicated Training Department is Created
Continued success enables Double First to create a dedicated Training department to ensure Users are fully au fait with areas they need to be.

November 2009

11 November 2009
The Fleet is updated and Double First becomes Greener and Greener
When updating its fleet, Double First looked at its CSR policy and thought again.

October 2009

10 October 2009
Double First at HMC 2009 showcases their Engage School MIS software
HMC 2009 had nearly 300 Heads in attendance - a perfect occasion to showcase Double First's Engage MIS software.

1 October 2009
Double First attends the IAPS 2009 Annual Conference in Jersey
IAPS 2009 in Jersey is a highly successful conference and exhibition, held at the fabulous Hotel de France.

September 2009

20 September 2009
Double First is Coming to a Conference Near You
Double First Ltd announces its attendance at the main conferences held for independent and fee paying schools in the UK and overseas.

August 2009

6 August 2009
CfBT, another UK School Group, selects Double First Engage for their Schools
The CfBT Education Trust has selected Double First Ltd to provide the Engage School Management System across its UK schools.

3 August 2009
Double First Provides Confidence with Best Practice Knowledge
With their knowledge of Best Practice, Double First consults to provide confidence to schools facing the uncertainties of the economic times.

July 2009

31 July 2009
Maxine completes the Three Peaks Challenge in aid of the Breast Cancer Campaign
Returning to work triumphant, Maxine has successfully completed the Three Peaks Challenge.

June 2009

29 June 2009
du Pré Connect installed to improve voice comms and help combat swine flu
As part of Double First's policy to combat swine flu, du Pré Connect has been installed to update and enhance its voice communication systems.

18 June 2009
Avaya brings a "Scrappage Scheme" to your School
Avaya releases details of a new scheme for schools to change telephone systems, available exclusively through Double First.

May 2009

27 May 2009
Double First announces its most successful Year
Double First Ltd announces its most successful year to date, with continued growth from both the UK and International school markets.

13 May 2009
COBIS 2009 was home to Double First to show Engage
The annual conference of COBIS was attended by Double First, exhibiting their flagship school information management software.

April 2009

24 April 2009
Park House English School, Qatar, chooses to Engage
Park House changes their MIS to Engage by Double First, as their 1,000 student school information management software.

21 April 2009
Engage has its début at the ECIS 2009 conference in Lisbon
Double First makes its début with their Engage school information management software at the ECIS 2009 conference.

9 April 2009
Dubai brings great success for Double First Ltd at the GESS 2009 Exhibition
Double First was overjoyed at the success of its presence at the GESS 2009 Exhibition in Dubai in March.

4 April 2009
More International Fee-Paying Schools choose Engage by Double First Ltd
Cognita chooses Engage for its Spain and Singapore schools, and Phuket International Academy, Thailand, also chooses Engage.

March 2009

29 March 2009
Double First to exhibit at ECIS, Lisbon, 16-19 April 2009
Double First is exhibiting their flagship Engage school information management system software at ECIS 2009, Lisbon.

4 March 2009
Double First to exhibit at GESS, Dubai, 10-12 March 2009
Double First to exhibit their flagship Engage school information management system software at GESS 2009, Dubai.

February 2009

25 February 2009
Mark Lovell joins Double First Ltd from Capita SIMS Independent
Mark brings 10 years experience of MIS and Accounts software, gained from working within the Independent School sector.

17 February 2009
Double First's Support Team extends its operating hours as a further service to its customers
We are delighted to announce a further extension in the operating hours of the Support Team.

9 February 2009
Outstanding Training Provided to UK Schools
'Thank you for the outstanding training!’ That was the message coming through loud and clear from staff at Queen’s Gate School in London.

2 February 2009
Success at the BSME 2009 Conference, Cyprus, with Engage MIS
'If it's good enough for St Christopher's, and the Doha English Speaking School, it's good enough for me.'

January 2009

28 January 2009
Double First's Spring 2009 Newsletter is published
Featuring a summary of the main news over the last few months, plus a Case Study of Engage MIS at Heatherton House School.

27 January 2009
Engage MIS is exhibited at the BSME 2009 Conference in Cyprus
We are delighted to be exhibiting Engage at the 2009 BSME conference in Cyprus in January.

December 2008

2 December 2008
St Christopher's School, Kingdom of Bahrain, chooses Engage
After extensive evaluation, Ed Goodwin, Principal of the 2,200 student St Christopher's School in Bahrain, replaces existing MIS with Engage.

November 2008

19 November 2008
Onward and Upward with a Double First Accounts Development Partner Meeting
Another successful software development meeting is held at the Donnington Valley Hotel in Berkshire.

12 November 2008
Exciting Progress from another Engage Development Partner Meeting
Schools from all over the UK were represented at a very successful Engage Software Development Meeting.

October 2008

23 October 2008
Another Middle East School Chooses Engage
The Doha English Speaking School in Qatar places an order for Engage Unite, Management Information System software.

6 October 2008
Demand for Double First's MIS Booklet has required a re-print!
Our '10 Key Stages in Successfully Implementing an MIS' has a far larger demand than anticipated.

September 2008

28 September 2008
Great Success for Double First at IAPS 2008
We enjoyed an immensely successful exhibition at the IAPS Annual Conference in Liverpool.

16 September 2008
Major new Release for Double First Accounts is just around the Corner
We work throughout the summer period to complete a major new Double First Accounts upgrade.

August 2008

26 August 2008
Successful Exam Results Days for Engage Users
Once again, Double First offers extra support for Exam Results Days, but it was not really needed.

21 August 2008
The Board appoints a new Director for Double First Ltd
Kim Hollamby joins the team as Director, at a time when we are enjoying exciting growth.

18 August 2008
Double First wins top HR Award for its outstanding commitment to Personnel Management
'Only a handful of companies receive this award', said Peninsula's Yvette Corfield.

10 August 2008
Extended Support for Customers' Exam Results
Double First extends their support hours to help customers with their exam results, as usual.

July 2008

25 July 2008
Newsletter - Double First publishes their Autumn 2008 Newsletter
Using a brand new style, we publishe our Autumn 2008 newsletter.

12 July 2008
Double First's Support Team expands - Again!
Christine and Jamie join our expanding Support Team as demand for Double First's Engage MIS escalates.

4 July 2008
Rob Roy joins the Sales Team
With his background in strategic growth planning for Independent Schools, Rob Roy joins Double First's sales team.

2 July 2008
Edina Champion rides off in Ducati style
Having looked after our customers for many years, Edina helps her partner build his Ducati business.

June 2008

21 June 2008
RSS feed for automatic notification of relevant updates added to website
Another feature is added to our website - an RSS feed.

12 June 2008
Double First expands the Sales Team even Further
Another Account Manager joins our expanding Sales Team, bringing a wealth of experience.

6 June 2008
Double First hosts a Security Seminar on Data Protection and Network Security at Cisco's HQ
Cisco's stunning HQ near London Heathrow, was the venue for our security seminar.

May 2008

31 May 2008
Double First's flagship MIS software is re-named Engage
Increasing success and the roll out to two School Groups, brings a name change to our flagship software

2 May 2008
Church Schools rolls out Engage Unite to all its Independent Schools
United Church Schools Trust rolls out Engage to its schools following successful pilot.

April 2008

2 April 2008
New Forum launched for all Double First's Users
Continuing to add to the value of our offering, a new Users Forum has been created.

March 2008

17 March 2008
UK Tour brings Encouraging Feedback
One fortnight, 11 Schools, and 2000 miles, leaves Paul Rastall triumphantly exhausted!

2 March 2008
Special Internet Offer Extended - Half Price Bandwidth during March 2008
Due to the extreme success of this offer, it has been extended for one more month, only.

1 March 2008
Double First's Support Team extends its open hours to help Payroll customers with End of Year Issues
To help customers with end of year Payroll issues and On-Line Filing, our Support Team extends their open hours.

February 2008

28 February 2008
Extended Support for Exam Submissions
The Support Team extends its open hours to help customers with their Exam Submissions.

3 February 2008
Special Offer - Half Price Internet Bandwidth - February 2008
This is a stunning offer for schools. Huge savings from 4k to 37k per annum can be through our parent company, du Pré plc.

January 2008

28 January 2008
'A Landmark Release' is declared with Engage version 2.10
'Version 2.10 signifies that apart from Pupil Tracking, all enhancements to Phase 1 are complete,' declares Carole Denman.

21 January 2008
Double First publishes their booklet '10 Key Stages in Successfully Implementing an MIS'
Drawing on our experience, we publish a booklet to help Schools understand the process of changing or implementing an MIS.

October 2007

28 October 2007
A new SEN module is launched for Engage
Double First launches a new SEN module to assist in tracking pupils who need that extra support.

September 2007

25 September 2007
The Double First Accounts Development Partners meet for their second conference
A day packed with information, discussion, Management Accounts, as well as adverts for du Pré!

19 September 2007
Double First hosts the third Engage Development Partners' conference
Another exciting day of development discussion and Timetable demonstrations.

August 2007

6 August 2007
The Support Team stays open extra hours to help Schools with their Exam Results
'Exam Results always create additional workload for our customers,' says Carole Denman, Operations Manager. 'Therefore we stay open longer hours to help.'

July 2007

23 July 2007
Double First expands its Sales Team, again
Yonna Berry joins the Sales Team and says, 'I wanted to work with a product I could truly believe in. Engage is perfect.'

16 July 2007
The Support Team just keeps on growing!
Paula Jelly brings her accounting expertise to the Support Team, as Double First's customer base keeps expanding.

June 2007

27 June 2007
Double First holds their second June Seminar in Ascot
'Can't wait to change our software,' said one delegate. 'There is no doubt in my mind that Engage is streets ahead of anyone else.'

7 June 2007
Double First holds an E-learning and Product Seminar at King's School Bruton
'This was excellent,' said one delegate. 'I have learnt so much. I can't wait to tell the rest of the staff.'

May 2007

14 May 2007
Double First exhibits at the ISA Annual Conference at Stratford-upon-Avon
'A very interesting conference, and a good time meeting so many customers.'

9 May 2007
Double First plans 2 one-day Seminars in June
King's Bruton School and Heathfield St Marys School are the locations of the next two one-day Seminars

April 2007

30 April 2007
Engage - Double First's E-learning and VLE software, is launched
The e-learning and VLE software was launched today amidst great excitement

27 April 2007
Alpha Plus Group places a multiple order for Engage Unite for 16 schools and colleges.
Another leading school group orders Engage.

27 April 2007
Special offer for End of Year Accounts training - approach your end of year with confidence!
Are you confident approaching your End of Year Accounts? Double First offers special rates for a one day refresher course.

20 April 2007
Timetable for Engage - Phase 2 is released
Timetable is released to beta-site testing, and immediately attracts good comment.

March 2007

22 March 2007
Double First exhibits at the ISC's annual conference in the City of London.
A prestigious venue, a prestigious conference with many prestigious speakers, gave Double First a successful exhibition.

8 March 2007
Double First exhibits at the SHMIS annual conference in Norwich
'The word is on the street!' said Stephanie, whilst Double First exhibited at the SHMIS annual conference at Dunston Hall, Norwich.

1 March 2007
The Support Team extends its open hours to help Payroll customers with End of Year Issues
To help customers with end of year Payroll issues and On-Line Filing, the Support Team extends their open hours.

February 2007

23 February 2007
Double First hosts the second Engage Development Partner conference
'This is the year of Engage,' declares one delegate. An excellent one day conference.

14 February 2007
Engage v2.08 is released which will bring major usability benefits
A usability-rich upgrade includes more than 200 refinements, additions, and features.

13 February 2007
Karen Taylor joins Double First to create the Double First Training Academy
Karen brings a wealth of experience from her time with Capita, LEAs, and SIMS.NET, as she develops the new Training Academy.

9 February 2007
Double First exhibits at the IAPS Management Conference in York
'It was good to see the interest and awareness of what Double First has been achieving with Engage,' said Richard Jones, Sales Director.

6 February 2007
Double First Development Partners - a Day of Revelation and Direction!
The first Double First Development Partners conference was a great success. Ideas flowed, knowledge exchanged, and direction established.
January 2007

22 January 2007
Two additional Developers are appointed to the Development Team
To speed development of additional Engage modules and Double First Accounts, two additional developers are appointed to the team.

17 January 2007
Extended Support for Examination Submissions
'We always extend support hours at critical times in the year, and this is one of them. Support is everything to a Customer.' said Carole Denman, Operations Manager.

December 2006

20 December 2006
The Support Team continues to grow
As the Support Team continues to grow at Double First, two new staff members add their expertise to the team.

October 2006

28 October 2006
A new Logo and Branding for Double First Ltd
'Given the rate of advance Double First has made within the marketplace, we felt a new and fresh look was most appropriate.' said Jeff Elliott, Group MD.

18 October 2006
Double First hosts a Technology In Schools Seminar
'MIS, Security, Wireless connectivity and Data Protection were the main topics of this well attended seminar at Cisco's stunning London HQ.

4 October 2006
Double First hosts an Engage Development Partners Conference at Charlton House Hotel
'The conference was beyond everyone's expectations,' said Jeff Elliott, Group MD.

2 October 2006
'We did it!' says the Development Team, 'v2.05 is proving a huge success.'
'The Double First Development Team can be proud of their work,' says Paul Rastall, Software Development Manager.

September 2006

27 September 2006
Double First welcomes Stephanie to their Sales department.
Stephanie joins Double First's sales department to help with the increasing demand for their market leading software.

25 September 2006
One week in, and Engage users report great success
With initial installations complete, the good news comes rolling in.

19 September 2006
The Team deserves Applause
With ten installations to complete this week, some early signs and encouraging words are forthcoming.

18 September 2006
Day Zero - and we have lift off as installations begin
Day 0 - By the end of today, our first installations of 2.05 will be complete, and feedback will begin.

17 September 2006
1 day to go - and we have ignition
Day 1 - We are poised to release Engage v2.05 starting at first light!

16 September 2006
2 days to go - and confidence is high
Day 2 - Operations is ready to start installation.

15 September 2006
3 days to go - that's all!
Day 3 - the countdown has almost finished.

14 September 2006
4 days to go to 18th September 2006
Day 4, and the clock is running...

13 September 2006
5 days to go to 18th September 2006
Day 5 and counting, and Double First's website is receiving record hits!

12 September 2006
6 days to go to 18th September 2006
Day 6 on the countdown, and the Top New Feature of the day for v2.05 of Engage.

11 September 2006
7 days to go to the release of v2.05 on 18th September 2006
So many enhancement; so many issues resolved; so much faster - you'll like it!

August 2006

2 August 2006
Engage - major release for late August 2006
Phase 3 will have been worth waiting for. 'Development is back on target,' says Jeff Elliott, Group MD.

May 2006

19 May 2006
Double First exhibits at ISBA 2006 - May 2006
Double First had one of its most successful exhibitions at ISBA this year. showcasing two new Engage modules.

April 2006

9 April 2006
Engage - firmly in the UK, Phase 2 begins
Since January 2006, development of Engage has been in the UK under the guidance of MD, Jeff Elliott.

March 2006

24 March 2006
Double First wins Prestigious Microsoft Authorised Education Reseller award
The rare and coveted award is given to Double First bringing benefits and confidence to Customers.

19 March 2006
It's that Payroll Year End time again - the Support Team extends their Support Hours
As always, Double First is there to help their customers. Extended Support hours for Payroll users between March and May 2006.

January 2006

January 2006
Engage Phase 1 complete - Phase 2 commences
Phase 1 development is completed ahead of plan. Phase 2 starts with a flourish.

2005

15 July 2005
Analysis of a year's worth of support calls reveals two specific requirements
Having analysed over 7,000 support calls, two requirements stand out ahead of all others.

30 April 2005
The Support Team extends their open hours for Payroll Year End
To help users with any Year End Payroll issues during March and April 2005, Double First's Support Team extended their open hours. All part of the service.

27 January 2005
South East Regional User Group meets
CISCO's HQ in Feltham, London, was the venue for the South East User Group meeting.

2004

12 November 2004
Celebration with an Education event
To celebrate our parent company's 25th anniversary, a major Education event was held at the imposing BT Tower in London.

22-24 September, 2004
IAPS Heads' Conference 2004
The IAPS Heads' Conference this year was held over three days, at The Palace Hotel, Torquay, Devon.

13 October 2004
South West Regional User Group meets
Hosted by Double First, the Regional User Group meetings have proven to be very popular and useful to Users.

3 June 2004
South East Regional User Group meets
22 Users attended the first Regional User Group meeting, held at Godstowe Preparatory School, High Wycombe.

2 April 2004
Asquith Court places Group Order for Double First's Engage
Another exciting group order for Engage was placed by Asquith Court. 'Engage software is fantastic,' said Joseph Ashley, Project Manager, Systems Development.

20 March 2004
United Church Schools Trust places an oredr for 10 of their schools
'This is our most exciting and high profile order to date,' said Peter Rose, Double First’s Director.


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